Pretty good

surprised that Pirlo didn't make the list

 

I have him at #124

 

Yeah, nice list overall. Have some issues but I'll save that for another day.

Will just say I'd place Zico higher on the list personally.

 

I find Zico is a polarizing player, many Brazil fans rate him top 10, while general or European fans often underrate him heavily. A plethora of talent also contributed to Flamengo's success, and I think all the players above him proved themselves to wider audiences. But yeah it's easily argued that he should be higher.

 

Gerrard above Iniesta is weird.

 

I don't rate Iniesta as highly as others. He's great at keeping the ball but Xavi was way better at playmaking, I would argue Iniesta was dependant on him to be great. Also his goal in the WC final boosted his rep heavily but he isn't a goalscorer, and Messi has unarguably been more important to Barca. His club loyalty and good image also inflate his reputation, but simply being on the list means I consider him an extremely talented player. Gerrard dragged Liverpool into relevancy and their Champions League Campaigns were built on his back, his morale and leadership make up for the vision Iniesta has over him.

They're only 13 places apart and to be honest I meant to swap Gerrard and Souness before posting this, it should be 10 places.

 

How many legit great tournaments did Iniesta have with Spain?

You underrate him hard.

 

Xavi was better in 2008 but Iniesta had a good tournament. He was great in 2010, probably the best player, but Spain were easily the best team in the world. Casillas, Puyol, Xavi, Villa, Torres when he was good, and their system was more or less built around getting the most out of Xavi and Iniesta. Spain's midfield was insane, I think Iniesta kind of played off the
cover he got from Busquets and the general approach Spain had to cover for his deficiencies. He was a great player but had a lot of help, everyone on the list is an incredible player.

 

Iniesta was also great in EURO 2012.

 

yeah there were legit people discussing whether Pirlo could be called Italy's best ever player after Euro2012: https://www.xtratime.org/forum/213-italian-national-team/268594-pirlo-best-italian-player-ever.html

Gianni Rivera at 34th and Pirlo at 124th is hard to comprehend

 

That poll has 3/1 against Pirlo being the greatest, in a thread largely interacted with by Pirlo Fans. It compares him to Baggio and Totti, dismisses defenders of Mazolla and Meazza, and literally states "Well, he is of course better than defenders", a hugely flawed argument to avoid comparisons with Maldini and Baresi. Rivera was miles better, Pirlo is one of the most beloved players of all time, it boosts his reputation , maybe he should be in the 100 but anywhere above 80 is nothing but bias.

 

Hello all, I used these forums a lot while researching early Football out of personal interest. Although the site seems quiet these days I thought I would share my list of the 100 Greatest Footballers of all time. Many of the popular posts here dismissed the modern game and it's stars, I think they can be compared to the old greats and hope anyone that reads this can keep an open mind.

I added "Ratings" to help distinguish how good I think each player was, compared to each other and the wider world of professional football, and some abbreviated information about each entry.

Rank: Name ---- Era -Position- Teams --- Rating
1: Pele --- 60s -CF- BRA/SAN ---94.7
2: Lionel Messi --- 10s -RW-ARG/BAR- -- 94.5
3: Diego Maradona --- 80s -AM- ARG/NAP --- 94.3
4: Johann Cruyff --- 70s -AM- NED/AJA --- 93.9
5: Alfredo Di Stefano --- 50s -AM- SPA/RMA --- 93.7
6: Cristiano Ronaldo --- 10s -LW- POR/MAD --- 93.6
7: Frans Beckenbauer --- 70s -CB- GER/BAY --- 93.4
8: Ronaldo Nazario --- 00s -ST- BRA/BAR --- 93.2
9: Ferenc Puskas --- 50s -ST- HUN/MAD --- 92.9
10: Garrincha --- 60s -RW- BRA/BOT --- 92.7
11: Michel Platini --- 80s -AM- FRA/JUV --- 92.6
12: Lev Yashin --- 60s -GK- SOV/DMO --- 92.5
13: Gerd Muller --- 70s -ST- GER/BAY --- 92.5
14: Zinedine Zidane --- 00s -AM- FRA/MAD --- 92.4
15: Eusebio da Silva --- 60s -ST- POR/BEN --- 92.3
16: Paolo Maldini --- 90s -LB- ITA/MIL --- 92.4
17: Zico --- 80s -AM- BRA/FLA --- 92.3
18: Giuseppe Meazza --- 30s -ST- ITA/INT --- 92.2
19: George Best --- 60s -RW- NIR/MAN --- 92.2
20: Franco Baresi --- 80s -CB- ITA/MIL --- 92.1
21: Marco Van Basten --- 90s -ST- NED/MIL --- 91.8
22: Bobby Moore --- 60s -CB- ENG/WHU --- 91.6
23: Didi --- 50s -CM- BRA/SAN --- 91.6
24: Romario --- 90s -ST- BRA/BAR --- 91.5
25: Lothar Matthaus --- 90s -DM- GER/FCB --- 91.5
26: Ronaldinho --- 00s -LW- BRA/BAR --- 91.5
27: Bobby Charlton --- 60s -AM- ENG/MAN --- 91.5
28: Jose Andrade --- 20s -DM- URU/NAC --- 91.5
29: Xavi --- 00s -CM- SPA/BAR- -- 91.5
30: Mattias Sindelar --- 30s -CF- AUS/FKV -- -91.5
31: Zizinho --- 40s- AM- BRA/FRA -- -91.4
32: Gaetano Scirea--- 80s -CB- ITA/JUV --- 91.4
33: Jose Manuel Moreno--- 40s -AM- ARG/RIV --- 91.4
34: Gianni Rivera--- 70s -CM- ITA/MIL -- -91.4
35: Stanley Matthews --- 40s -RW- ENG/STO -- -91.4
36: Dino Zoff--- 80s -GK- ITA/JUV -- -91.3
37: Telmo Zarra --- 40s -ST- SPA/BIL --- 91.3
38: Silvio Piola --- 30s -ST- ITA/LAZ --- 91.3
39: Jozsef Bozsik--- 50s -DM- HUN/HON --- 91.3
40: Gianluigi Buffon--- 00s -GK- ITA/JUV- -- 91.2
41: Juan Alberto Schiaffino--- 50s -AM- URU/PEN- -- 91.1
42: Sandor Kocsis--- 50s -ST- HUN/HON -- -91.1
43: John Charles--- 50s -ST- WAL/JUV -- -91.1
44: Daniel Passarella --- 70s -CB- ARG/RIV --- 91.0
45: Thierry Henry --- 00s -ST- FRA/ARS --- 91.0
46: Luis Monti --- 30s -CM- ARG/JUV --- 90.9
47: Paco Gento --- 50s -LW- SPA/RMA --- 90.9
48: Giacinto Fachetti --- 60s -LB- ITA/INT --- 90.8
49: Raymond Kopa --- 50s -AM- FRA/REI --- 90.8
50: Josef Bican --- 30s -ST- AUS/SLA --- 90.8
51: Imre Schlosser --- 10s -ST- HUN/MTK --- 90.8
52: Gordon Banks--- 60s -GK- ENG/LEI --- 90.8
53: Hector Scarone--- 20s -RF-URU/NAC- -- 90.8
54: Leonidas --- 30s- CF -BRA/SAP --- 90.7
55: Arsenio Erico--- 30s -ST- PAR/IND --- 90.7
56: Iker Casillas --- 00s -GK- SPA/RMA --- 90.7
57: Karl-Heinz Rumenigge--- -80s- ST GER/BAY- -- 90.7
58: Nandor Hidegkuti --- 50s -AM- HUN/MTK --- 90.7
59: Claudio Gentile--- 80s -CB- ITA/JUV --- 90.7
60: Peter Schmeichel --- 90s -GK- DEN/MAN --- 90.6
61: Roberto Baggio--- 90s -ST- ITA/JUV- -- 90.6
62: Djalma Santos--- 60s -RB- BRA/PAL- -- 90.6
63: Luisito Miramontes--- 60s -CM -SPA/INT- -- 90.6
64: Lazslo Kubala--- 50s -ST- HUN/BAR -- -90.6
65: Carles Puyol --- 00s -CB- SPA/BAR --- 90.6
66: Oliver Kahn --- 90s -GK- GER/BAY --- 90.6
67: Jimmy Greaves--- 60s -ST- ENG/TOT- -- 90.5
68: Ruud Gullit --- 80s -CM- NED/MIL ---90.5
69: Dragan Dzajic--- 70s -LW - YUG/BEL ---90.5
70: Tom Finney--- 50s -LW- ENG/PRE --- 90.5
71: Rivaldo--- 00s -ST- BRA/BAR --- 90.5
72: Ernst Ocwirk--- 50s -CM- AUS/AWN --- 90.5
73: Ricardo Zamora--- 20s -GK- SPA/BAR --- 90.5
74: Valentino Mazzola--- 40s -AM- ITA/TOR --- 90.4
75: Dennis Bergkamp--- 00s -CF- NED/ARS --- 90.4
76: Raul--- 00s -ST- SPA/RMA --- 90.4
77: Omar Sivori --- 50s -AM- ARG/JUV --- 90.4
78: Socrates--- 80s -AM- BRA/COR --- 90.4
79: Hugo Sanchez--- 80s -ST- MEX/RMA --- 90.4
80: Elias Figueroa--- 70s -CB- CHI/INT --- 90.4
81: Gunnar Nordal--- 50s ST SWE/MIL --- 90.4
82: Sepp Maier--- 70s -GK- GER/BAY --- 90.4
83: Adolfo Pedernera--- 40s- ST- ARG/RIV --- 90.4
84: Arthur Friedenreich--- 20s -ST-BRA/SAO --- 90.4
85: Jose Nasazzi--- 30s- CB- URU/NAC --- 90.3
86: Steven Gerrard--- 00s-CM- ENG/LIV - --90.3
87: Frank Rijkaard--- 80s -DM- NED/MIL --- 90.3
88: Jairzinho--- 70s -RW -BRA/BOT --- 90.3
89: Graeme Souness--- 70s- DM- SCO/LIV --- 90.3
90: Billy Wright--- 50s -CB- ENG/WOL --- 90.3
91: Fritz Walter--- 50s -AM- GER/KAI --- 90.3
92: Michael Laudrup--- 80s- AM- DEN/BAR --- 90.3
93: Johann Neeskens--- 70s- CM- NED/AJA --- 90.3
94: Kevin Keegan--- 70s -ST- ENG/LIV --- 90.3
95: Just Fontaine--- 50s -ST- FRA/REI --- 90.3
96: Peter Shilton--- 70s -GK- ENG/NOT --- 90.3
97: Uwe Seeler--- 60s- ST -GER/HAM -- -90.2
98: Luis Suarez--- 10s -ST- URU/BAR --- 90.2
99: Andres Iniesta--- 00s- CM- SPA/BAR - --90.2
100: Jose Santamaria 50s- CB- URU/RMA -- 90.2

Honourable Mentions
Nils Liedholm, Neil Franklin, Falcao, Ruud Krol, Alan Shearer, Gyorgi Sarosi, Giampiero Boniperti, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Kenny Dalglish, Carlos Alberto Torres, Paul Scholes.

No Nesta? No Redondo? No Nilton Santos? No Cubillas? :surprise:

 

I had Cubillas in there, must have cut him out when I copied it from Word. The rest are good players but a tier below the lowest here, all ranked around 140-160

 

Starting to think it was stupid to post this, I mean looking through the list pinned in the history tab, I disagree with about half of it. World Football Historic Center: World's All-Time Greatest Footballers
Matthaus at 12, Ruud Gullit at 20, Lev Yashin 26, Romario 33, and its supposedly done by a system but when you nitpick certain players you can make the list look stupid.
All the comments here are "I think this 1 player was better", there are 100 of them, nobodies list is perfect. Pirlo's 25 places out, at best he can be argued in at around 70, I personally think his cool reputation and swagger make him slightly overrated, his only job was deep playmaking and he did it really well but there have been more rounded midfielders that can do the same thing. I have my reasons for rating Iniesta lower than normal and only rate Xavi so highly because I think more of their shared success was because of Xavi.
I hoped people would just be interested in 100 great players but if you want to feel good by nitpicking, I guess thats what forums are for. If any of you published your top 100 I could pull out 25 inclusions that I have different opinions on too.

 

Michael Laudrup should be in top 25.

 

Ze da Fiel, utter Bias. "I grew up watching Zico, as a Brazil Fan, and happen to think he's comparable to Messi." He isn't, just because you watched him doesn't mean you have the unbiased ability to compare him to others, especially players you didn't watch, which is exactly your point despite the fact that I have watched him too. Why presume that I haven't? Because I listen to the arguments of his critics? He played for Udinese and they love him, sure, he didn't win anything and they're a pretty bad team. A crucial part of my argument was that he played for the best team in Brazil at the time because he had good teammates. And Brazil 1982 were good but come on, best not to win the WC? Netherlands 1974, Hungary 1954, even France of the very same era. I was wrong to put Zico at 17th, I did it because he didn't do much outside his country but its hard to deny the raw talent he had and its not enough to put him below Eusebio, Zidane, Maldini and Yashin. I have since reconsidered and now rate him #13 but Top 5? No way.

Laudrup, similar message, your name is literally Laudrup, I very much doubt you've rated him honestly. Michael Laudrup is an underrated player sure, one of the best in Scandinavian History but nowhere near top 25.

 

Letto

I talk about what I have watched and seen.

I don’t rate a player based on telecom technology at how many people viewed him or accessed him.

Your the first person that has that as a “criteria”do evaluating players. Which has nothing to do with talent.

And on tv, Zico would have 40 million fanatics watching him every week for Flamengo when 95% of top Brazilian players played in Brazil.

And yes, Zico and Messi are comparable. Just by your posts i can tell that you know almost nothing of Zico .

 

Of course people are Biased, but objectivity can be a flaw if your critery about a player is that he had good teammates. Messi have as good teammates. Pele. Garrincha. The thing about them is that they were the better of those mates and often have a good impact on how well those mates performed. It is not bad to compare Zico and Messi, both had similar style, position, skills and even a similar story about needing help to grow up physically as young. It is not coincidence that Maradona sucess only started with Platini was old and retired and Zico injury in 1985 took off his explosion and limited the end of his career. It would be good to think not only about teammates, but against whom they played.

 

It is not coincidence that Maradona sucess only started with Platini was old and retired and Zico injury in 1985 took off his explosion and limited the end of his career. It would be good to think not only about teammates, but against whom they played.

I agree.

 

There is comparison of playstyle, and comparison of output, even those who previously argued that Zico should be higher wouldn't put him with Messi, Pele and Maradona. It takes a huge bias to make that leap.

 

If you do a comparison of the career of Zico vs Maradona, you will see Zico achieved more than Maradona except the world cup ( which Diego cheated)

Zico was the best player of the world until 1984.

In serie a , when he played in an awful team, Zico had better numbers than Maradona.

Pelé is the one that no one should compare him with .

If you lived in the 80’s everyone and their dog would ask, who is better, Zico or Maradona?
Go watch some Zico videos and learn about him , instead of embarrassing yourself here in xtratime.

 

Can I ask how old you are @Letto ?

 

59: Claudio Gentile--- 80s -CB- ITA/JUV --- 90.7
61: Roberto Baggio--- 90s -ST- ITA/JUV- -- 90.6

 

Messi wouldn't even make my top 20 post-war players. What's he won at the top level of football (international level)? nothing.

He's played for one of the most dominant clubs in the world for his entire career, surrounded by great players, in a team that wins most of its games playing against nobodies week in week out. But when it's come to the top level, playing against the best of the best, he hasn't had what it takes to be a winner.

 

Very very solid list, a few suggestions would be that neuer and gyorgi sarosi both deserve a spot here, neuer's peak alone is one of the best ever and I don't think the gap between him and casillas is big enough for casillas to earn a spot in the 50s whereas neuer doesn't even receive an honorable mention (you gotta take into account neuer's influence on the modern keeper role as well.) And with sarosi, he was one of the best players of the late 30s and in my eyes is definitely comparable with the likes of arsenio erico. I believe figueroa, suarez the striker, and iniesta should all be higher, with figueroa I would argue in terms of defensive ability he's the third or fourth-best ever behind maldini baresi and maybe scirea, in those mid-70s you could make a genuine argument for him being the better player then beckenbauer. With suarez the only issue is that him and henry are not as far apart as that, suarez didn't dominate the world quite like henry but in some ways he was the better player and I think he deserves a spot in the 50s 60s 70s range. Iniesta I understand he's quite overrated, but 99 is just disrespectful, he relied on xavi but I don't think that takes away from his brilliance as much as you're saying it does. Great list overall though, thanks for taking the time to make it.

 

Only just realized teofilo cubillas did not make it, that's pretty disappointing and probably the worst part of the list. Where did he finish? would also like to know where neeskens, cafu, nilton santos, totti, sandro mazzolla, dixie dean, kaka, shevchenko, and masopust all rank